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October  2009:
MARKETING LESSONS
Jon Jepson of Makani Catamaran

Photo: David Croxford

Jon Jepson knows the Hawaiian seas like the back of his hand, but when he
began marketing for Makani, the $1.8 million catamaran he helped hand-build, Jepson found himself testing new waters. Now in its third year, Makani Catamaran takes adventurous tourists and kamaaina out of Kewalo Basin for sailing cruises, snorkeling tours and private charters.

HB: How do you compete with the bigger tourist attractions?

“The consistency with our product and the word of mouth is helping a lot. Being reliable with the agents in Waikiki. Being on time and having our customers come back and tell the agents how fun it was. It’d be nice to leave our ad in Waikiki all the time, but it’s such a huge cost.”

HB: How effective are those Waikiki brochures?

“When I’ve watched people in Waikiki, they don’t grab every single brochure – they’ll grab two or three sailing or snorkeling brochures. I don’t think it’s as effective as it was 10 years ago, and that’s because of the Internet. Instead of grabbing all this paperwork and carrying it around, it’s in their phone, it’s in their laptop.”

HB: What makes for a great Web site ?

“There has to be all your contact info in there. And being really honest about what your product is – having a lot of pictures of it. Video on your Web site is really good. Then, when people show up, they’re actually more impressed. What we’re not getting is people coming and saying, ‘Well, that’s not what it looks like online.’ ”

HB: Ever have a big marketing investment flop?

“We threw a pretty good budget at marketing when we first started. We had this big Flash website that we did, and that didn’t really make a difference. And we just went to a simple website with all of our information and some pictures and video and that worked great.”

HB: What are some inexpensive ways to advertise?

“Getting out there and going to these networking events where other business owners are coming in, and then doing some cross-marketing with those companies. We’ve had a few restaurants that have had managers and owners who love the boat and want to put a little card in their restaurant and we put something on the boat. That kind of thing works more with local businesses.”

Makani Catamaran
SailMakani.com
591-9000

June 19, 2009: MAKANI SETS SAIL TO CATCH HAWAII MEETING BUSINESS

Pleasure business Makani Catamaran Honolulu is adding company meetings
and incentive programs to its customer mix.

The only trick to successfully networking on a 65-foot vessel cruising at 12 knots
off Waikiki is to be careful when exchanging business cards in high winds.

Launched three years ago at Kewalo Basin, Makani Catamaran Honolulu has quickly       Picture taken by: Christina Failma, PBN
established itself as one of more recognized ocean-recreation operators on Oahu.

The Makani (Hawaiian for wind or breeze) offers several sails a day (adult rates
range between $35 and $65), with options to swim and snorkel. Charters include wedding receptions, birthdays, and
memorial scattering of ashes.

Now Makani is pitching business trips where like-minded professionals can gather in a relaxed atmosphere and combine work with play.

"One of the new trends we see is business networking via venues like ours becoming a more viable road to increasing business," said Chris Canepa, Makani's director of sales and marketing. "It can have 10 times the effect that print advertising can bring us."

The Makani's roomy interior cabin can double as a conference room with a 32-inch flat-screen TV and sound sytem for PowerPoint and CD hookups.

Makani Catamaran Honolulu hosted approximately 50 members of the Latin Business Hawaii Chamber of Commerce last week, and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii has booked a VIP sail for July 23.

Canepa, who came on board in January after management struggled to find the right salesman, is actively seeking more chamber business, military groups and local associations.

Canepa said Makani is willing to negotiate "with a capital N" with clients. Travel wholesalers and other booking agents get a 30 percent commission on sales.

"You can't just wave at the activity desks and see the business come to you," said Canepa, a Navy veteran with a background in hotel and in hotel and resort management. "You can't survive on that type of approach these days."

The inspiration for Makani Catamaran Honolulu came when Jim Campbell, a retired judge from St. Paul, Minn., made one of his many snowbird sojourns to Hawaii in 2003.

"It started with a $5 coupon for a sail on the Maitai Catamaran," Campbell said from his home in Minnesota. "My friend is a veteran coupon cutter."

Once on board the Maitai, which sails from the beach between the Halekulani and the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Campbell struck up a conversation with the captain, Jon Jepson. The talk led to dinner at the Shore Bird Restaurant & Beach Bar, where Jepson would explain his dream to build a sailboat.

Jepson soon was on a jet to meet with Campbell and Tim Mardell, a Minneapolis-based commercial-industrial real estate appraiser. By 2004, Jepson was building the Makani in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, using poly carbon fiber- "It's the same material Boeing uses on its [787] Dreamliners," Campbell said--with a 70-foot mast made in New Zealand.

By the time Jepson sailed the Makani through the Panama Canal and to Hawaii in late 2005, the investment totalled $2 million. Campbell bought the F1 Kewalo slip from Roberts Hawaii and sold the old tug in the slip for $65,000.

Campbell registered master company name Makani Nui in Minnesota. Mardell is president and controlling shareholder, and the handful of other investors include Campbell and Jepson.

Campbell said Makani's business rests on a "three-legged stool": tourist traffic helped by purchase of discount attractions cards offered through Seattle-based SmartDestinations.com, group bookings from the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, and the local chapter of Meeting Professionals International and the push for local business groups.

Makani takes bookings seriously.

"We've had nuerosurgeons and NFL players," Jepson said.

Canepa met Jose Villa, secretary of the Latin Business Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, when a group of Mexican students aged 12 to 16 were in Honolulu for a robotics competition in March.

Villa, publisher of Hawaii Hispanic News, worked out a trade with Canepa to take the kids on the Makani. That led to the Latin chamber booking the boat last week.

"When you are thinking of doing business with someone, you really want to get to know them first, to really drill down to the person," said
Villa, whose chamber includes non-Latinos. "We usually meet in restaurants, but what interested me in having our mixer on Makani was
getting everyone out of their comfort zone."

Out of the zone, but not lacking in comfort. The Makani, which can hold 80 passengers, is a smooth ride--and if not, crew members are ready with buckets that have smiley faces painted inside.

Written by: Chad Blair, Pacific Business News.
cblair@bizjournals.com/955-8036
American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.




October 15, 2005: As we write, Gold Coast is just finishing up Makani, a 65-ft, high-performance cat for the charter trade in Hawaii. Last week Capt. Jon Jepson showed us around as the workers finished up the last details for Coast Guard certification and the long passage to Honolulu. This is a remarkable vessel in that she was built for both performance and comfort. Her target market is everything from Japanese thrill-seekers to businesses looking to hold onboard meetings with flat-screen AV capability.

This 65-ft cat is lighter than our 41-ft monohull. The hull was built with E-Glass, the deck and house were built with carbon fiber, and the spars are by Southern Spars. Makani has a large salon with a bar and galley, lots of deck and trampoline space, and a very accessible helm so that even kids get a chance to steer. Makani should be both very fast and safe. Her high bridgedeck clearance reminds us of Profligate. Many of the cat's systems are state-of-the-art. For example, she has a double air block custom designed by Harken. Check her out at www.sailmakani.com.

Gold Coast is an important business on St Croix. Makani, which took 10 months to build, cost $1.8 million. She's the 73rd boat - most of them charter cats - from Gold Coast.
Written By: Hillair Bell & Michael Sheats, Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI





October 24, 2005: A NEW CAT IN TOWN.

Denis Kennedy, left, Yumi Iseki and Jon Jepsen celebrated with a few close friends Thursday after the luxury catamaran Makani cleared customs inspection at Kewalo Basin. Captain Jepsen brought the newly built 65-foot poly-carbon hulled commercial vessel here from St. Croix.

Written By: Jon Berger, “On the Scene”




February 6, 2006:

Jon Jepson, veteran Hawaii sea captain, welcomes you to preview a truly thrilling sailing experience aboard Makani, Honolulu’s newest luxury catamaran, whose technology and elegant amenities make her unique.

Makani is a 65-foot lavish sailing cat built by Gold Coast Yachts in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. From stern to bow, port to starboard, no expense has been spared to make the world class Makani among the most maneuverable and fastest vessels crafted while still residing in a class all its own. Meticulously constructed using ultra-high technology, Makani employs foam-infused carbon fiber, making the yacht up to 40 percent lighter. The 70-ft mast was created Southern Spars Racing of New Zealand. North Sails in Hawaii crafted the 3DL sails. The props were made by Gori of Europe. In gear they open up and, when sailing, they fold up similar to a squid for less drag. Her hardware was provided by Harken Yacht Equipment, world-renowned supplier to the finest yachts. She has state of the art navigation and radar, chart plotter, and GPS. The interior has been meticulously designed and she boasts a state of the art surround-sound stereo system with TV and wireless Internet service. Captain Jepson left Honolulu last October for St. Croix in order to personally supervise every detail of the construction of Makani.

“The idea for the Makani was to design a catamaran technically, structurally, and specifically for Hawaiian waters. The waves in Hawaii can be very extreme. Because Makani is lighter and stronger than wood/fiberglass construction, she draws less water and cuts through the waves more quickly,” said Captain Jepson. Makani is a luxurious, high-tech Grand Prix–style catamaran. People who take the charter will not only feel the thrill of the speed when she cuts through the waves, but also as she moves more smoothly through the water.”

Makani is certain to make a memorable impression upon any business meeting, pleasure adventure, wedding, or romantic occasion. Capable of private chartering for up to 80 people, Makani will provide three daily sailings for Honolulu visitors and residents. A morning, afternoon, and romantic sunset cruise will each serve appetizers with full bar service available. Whether in the cabin, on deck, or lying on the nets, each Makani passenger will enjoy a truly remarkable experience that he or she will not soon forget.

“Even after 16 years of working in the Honolulu tourism industry, I still get a kick out of seeing the smiling faces of people the first time they experience a thrill of a sailing adventure,” says Captain Jepson. “Makani means wind, and that’s exactly how she will sail. I am anxious to return home to Honolulu next month to once again enjoy all of the smiling faces.”

Written By: YV&C News Desk